Adam entertains an old flame.\u00a0 Could it be love the second time around?<\/p>\n
Rating: \u00a0Teen \u00a0 Words: \u00a0750<\/p>\n
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A SHADY ENCOUNTER<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a small private room on the far side of town<\/p>\n Sat a lady of mystery who wore a blue gown<\/p>\n A handsome young cowboy dressed only in black<\/p>\n Toasted her, smiling, with a warm \u201cWelcome back.\u201d<\/p>\n He was charming, disarming; she was coy and demure<\/p>\n They talked of old times, things simple and sure<\/p>\n Their laughter was poignant, remembering the past<\/p>\n A young love so wondrous, too fragile to last<\/p>\n The wine did flow freely, as did a few tears<\/p>\n Recalling the sorrows and joys of those years<\/p>\n Now older and wiser, a friendship so true<\/p>\n Is all that remains for the Black and the Blue<\/p>\n A kiss on the cheek so sweet and so tender<\/p>\n And then she departed leaving him to remember<\/p>\n What he\u2019d forgotten about his long lost lady \u2013<\/p>\n A peach of a friend, but at cards she was shady!<\/p>\n ~*~<\/p>\n It was the moment he\u2019d been dreading since the day he started thinking she might actually be the one after all. That night at the hotel, when they toasted old times, he could feel something happening between them that was too big to ignore. She felt it too, but like him, she was cautious. After all, they\u2019d tried it once before and it had left them both stung.<\/p>\n He was surprised she\u2019d never married, and he wondered why. She couldn\u2019t give him a definitive answer anymore than he could give her one. It all came to down to the fact that the right person hadn\u2019t come along at the right time. But they were older now, and hopefully, wiser. And while it was certainly not the most important thing, she was still a beauty.<\/p>\n The evening had ended rather abruptly after a game of high stakes poker. Though he didn\u2019t call her on it, he was pretty sure she\u2019d cheated. She laughed and told him to let her know if he wanted a chance to win back his money and hoped there were no hard feelings. \u201cNone at all,\u201d he assured her. It turned out the be the best $150 investment he ever made.<\/p>\n Not that it was all that easy to convince her. The woman had never been a pushover. It was a while before he even got a kiss. She wanted to be certain, she told him. It was worth the wait. After that, things moved pretty quickly in the direction he\u2019d hoped they would go. This time they both appeared ready to take the next step.<\/p>\n But there was still this one thing, and he had every intention of making a clean breast of it but kept putting it off, waiting for the right moment to tell her. The right moment never came, and now it had blown up in his face. She\u2019d found out on her own. This was not good.<\/p>\n \u201cWell?\u201d Her eyes and her tone accused him as she waited for an explanation.<\/p>\n He flinched. \u201cI\u2019m sorry. I\u2019ve been trying to find a way to tell you. I just…\u201d<\/p>\n She cut him off. \u201cYou lied to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI never lied to you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you just did it again!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou knew what I thought, and you let me go on thinking it. That\u2019s the same as lying, isn\u2019t it? Why?\u201d<\/p>\n She held the incriminating evidence in her hand. He stammered an explanation that sounded shallow even to him. \u201cI was worried…that you might change your mind about us.\u201d<\/p>\n The look on her face was incredulous. She rolled her eyes. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you have so little faith in me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re right. I was wrong. I\u2019m sorry. All I can do is ask you to please forgive me so we can put this behind us and not spoil the rest of the evening. You will forgive me, won\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n Her expression softened, somewhat. \u201cOf course I forgive you, you stupid man.\u201d<\/p>\n He leaned in for a kiss. \u201cCan I have it back now?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo.\u201d She stepped away from him with a smirk. \u201cVanity, thy name is Adam Cartwright. I\u2019m keeping your little secret. Wear your hat instead.\u201d<\/p>\n Mustering dignity, he shoved his hat over his ears and made his way slowly toward the door. He could hear her laughing behind him, and he had a feeling he\u2019d overplayed his hand and she was about to call his bluff.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re not going anywhere, are you, cowboy.\u201d It wasn\u2019t a question.<\/p>\n She was right. So was he. She was definitely the one. Even if she did cheat at cards.<\/p>\n END?<\/p>\n